Vacation with a View   07/05

     It’s hard not to start humming  The Who’s “I Can See for Miles (And Miles)” from the top of Beacon Rock, where a seemingly endless view stretches over the Columbia River Gorge.

   Although Stevenson is the destination, the lure of Beacon Rock State Park, located 35 miles east of Vancouver, Wash., is hard to pass up.  A fair number of technical rock climbers tackle the monolith named in 1805 by the Lewis & Clark expedition. Its northwest face is open year-round but two other faces are closed in spring until mid-July to protect nesting peregrine falcons and their fledglings.

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Canyon Country   Escapes '05

   The Northwest Region’s canyons offer hikers and rafters plenty to ‘gorge’ on Forget the Grand Canyon. Forget the slot canyons of Zion National Park, too. There’s no need to travel to the Southwest if its big crevices that you wish to explore.    Story link >>>>

Have a Blast on Northwest Volcanoes

Escapes '05

  On May 18, 1980, Mount St. Helens gained international attention when it let out a cataclysmic roar. That famous eruption, lasting nine hours and blasting 1,300 feet off St. Helens’ northern slope, showered eastern Washington and beyond with ash and pumice. Since then, a dome has been growing inside the crater as the mountain rebuilds.   Story link >>>>

Fremont Mountain - Washington

   It may seem a tad bit ironic that Washington’s highest peak, Mount Rainier – a volcano covered in snow and ice – is surrounded by a series of fire towers. Sure, chances are slim that “The Mountain” will go up in flames, but fire is always a threat to the thousands of acres of old-growth forest that encircle it. At one time the national park housed eight lookouts. Now there are only four. These days, fire surveillance is done by aircraft rendering the lookouts obsolete.  

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